Tag Archives: Vignette

You only get one shot (to take in this scene)

“The crunch of snow beneath my boots betrayed my presence with every step. The forest, a solemn witness to my journey, contoured the world with branches heavy under the weight of winter.” Even without those words, it’s amazing how much of a story the simple but beautiful LEGO build tells. “Prey,” by Louis Nutwood, transports you to a single moment as a solitary hunter stalks a rabbit half-hidden in the snow. Gazing at this build, the world goes still until all you can hear is the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears as you take aim. Will the shaft fly true? Or will the hunter go hungry?

Prey

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Here’s one LEGO hedgehog who takes it slow

Small LEGO scenes like this make me smile. With just a few parts and a simple story, Eli Willsea crafts a fun and colorful vignette of a hedgehog taking a walk after a light rain. The chopstick element makes perfect spines, yellow rainboots are instantly recognizable, and he even has a frog friend along for the ride.

Puddle Splash Pals

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Steam on!

“In a world of floating islands, Elias . . . knew every lever, every pipe, and every sound it made. But his eyes often wandered atop the workshop, where his air balloon stood, waiting to lift off.” That’s how Gus (aka Faëbricks) begins the tale surrounding this tall vignette called “Sogno di Volare,” and personally, he had me at “floating islands.” The model has clear industrial, steampunk vibes from the brick foundation to the moored airship—and speaking of that airship, how cute is that thing? It’s a compact, one-seater model perfect for gallivanting around those floating islands. Sogno di Volare

As Gus continues: “One day, he promised himself, he’d set his balloon free, leaving the steam and noise behind, and float into the wide, open sky.” Here’s hoping our little engineer gets his chance.

 

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Miniature LEGO agent makes a spectacular getaway

LEGO boxes often portray the finished model in action scenes, but the Agents theme took that to another level that Tom Cruise would be proud of. In this microscale scene by Bousker they have recreated the iconic box from LEGO Agents 8634 Mission 5 with amazing detail for such a small scale. The precarious cliff on either side is masterfully crafted in sections, and the gates blasted off their hinges by the agent’s escape still look like a movie. Those sculpted rocks in dark sand and light nougat are the winners for me. The only thing that would make this picture perfect are some action lines.

Micro Lego Agents Mission 5 (8634)

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Maybe this wonderful wall will be the one that saves you

Walls were an essential part of medieval life. You could send your protagonist there to defend from the coming winter, you can blow raspberries and throw chickens from them, and they offered great views of the moat. In a pinch, they could even hold off invading armies. This LEGO medieval wall from builder n.o.l.d.o.r is a beautiful bit of brickwork, it would be a shame to see it besieged. I’m in awe of the subtle textures on the brickwork, where slightly recessed sections of wall allow SNOT tiles to stay flush. The tall wooden parapets are gorgeous. Even the patch of landscaping is a masterclass on subtle shaping.

Lego MOC - The fortress wall

n.o.l.d.o.r continues the wall’s story on the other side, with even more impressive brickwork. The green and black banner again uses the trick of recessed bricks to create the illusion of a thin surface. The mix of minifigs adds drama and hints at a larger fantasy world of goblins and elves co-existing with humans. Those halberds with ice skates as axe blades are truly wicked designs.

Lego MOC - The fortress wall

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This LEGO Miniature undergound entrance is flowing with ambience

Would you be brave enough to step into the unknown? This scene by Bousker was inspired by the BBC adaptation of The Silver Chair, the fourth book of C.S. Lweis’ Chronicles of Narnia. For such a small scene, it successfully captures the ominous and majestic mood. Between the scale of the wall relative to the tiny figure at the center to the river flowing from the crack in the wall to the stark black border of the scene, it feels a bit like an open book about to slam shut. One of my favorite details is the use of several curved shield elements as flat rocks to shape the flowing river.

Underland

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Should any of ye be wishin’ ta beg for mercy, Captain Hutt will hear yer pleas

Any fan of pirate history knows the legend of the Jade Eye’s Return, and how young Duke Wavewalker and his ragtag crew fell into the hands of the nefarious Captain Hutt while fleeing the Imperial armada. Joe (jnj_bricks) pays tribute in LEGO to the memorable scene on the shoals of Cancun where Duke and crew were taken by skiff to the all-meaty shark pit. Joe’s clever mash-up was made for a challenge to blend Star Wars with history, so taking the plank-walking Sarclaac scene back to the golden age of pirates is a perfect fit. The skiff’s brick-built hull is a lovely design and Joe’s technique for partially submerged sharks is brilliant, nesting the upper jaw over a grey dome and using triangular tiles for the dorsal fins. What sells the scene is the excellent remix of minifigs. Of course, pirate Chewie would use Hagrid’s beard.

The Shark Pit

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Unleash your imagination with Calvin and Hobbes

Cartoonist Bill Watterson has always been protective of his magnum opus Calvin and Hobbes, to the point where it’s tough to find any approved merchandise of the characters, but I like to think he’d smile kindly on this charming LEGO build of his two titular characters. Geneva Durand captures the boy Calvin and his tiger pal Hobbes crossing a log bridge in an image from one of their most iconic panels. Tiny white frogs make up Hobbes’s outstretched fingers, while Calvin’s characteristically touseled locks look good as sloped bricks. A red pot makes Calvin’s torso. Rocks and foliage spring up on either side of the bridge. It makes you wonder, what adventure are they off to next?

Beyond

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Microscale LEGO Mount Olympus is fit for the miniature gods

When I imagine the mythical land of Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods, I picture dazzling gold and expansive vistas. But Joe seems to have a bit more of a down-to-earth vision in this microscale vignette. There is still a fair amount of gold details among the roofs and statues, but the dominant palette is tans and terra cotta nougat. The use of large curved slopes attached sideways creates some great rockwork with a grand scale while many small smooth tiles and slopes gives the landscape a weathered look you would expect high among the clouds.

Mount Olympus

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This murder scene will have you seeing red

The Film Noir Detective from LEGO Collectible Minifig Series 25 appeared in shades of gray, but he came with a colorful accessory: an actual red herring. This clever vignette by ABrickDreamer makes masterful use of the same two-color motif to create an arresting crime scene (no pun intended). Each splash of red is dramatic and eye-catching, like the mysterious red-handed man watching through the window, the woman in the flowing red gown fleeing the scene, and the blood tricking into the river. But whodunnit? The answer to that question is a little less stark: Is it the man with the blood-red hands? Is it the fleeing woman? Are they accomplices? Or was it the snake all along? Hopefully, our intrepid detective can get to the bottom of it soon.

The Crime Scene

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This wandering LEGO amphibious vehicle is the ultimate in renewable energy transportation

Electric and hybrid vehicles are all the rage at the moment, but frequent TBB builder LEGO 7 has something else in mind. This whimsical crab-boat fuels itself as it wanders the sea and shore. The crab portion of the build is full of great details, and the boat is simple but immediately recognizable. My favorite part, however, is the old fisherman. With so many small details like the hat, beard, and the little pink element used for the mouth. There is even a small rubber duck next to him. He reminds me of Ivar’s character from the restaurant chain where I used to get fish and chips with my family when I was a kid.

Captain Quijote’s Dream Voyage

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Love is in the air and on the stairs in this medieval LEGO village

She was a high-town girl, raised in comfort. He lived in low-town, busking for coin. She hears a hum on the whispering wind. Could it be love? All that keeps these two apart is a short flight of stairs. Tomasz Bartoszek captures this romantic moment in LEGO with a scene that is packed with medieval detail and incredible parts usage. The brickwork throughout features some lovely SNOT (studs not on top) techniques, especially on that heavy wall through which the staircase rises. My favorite details are the large door that uses gaps between bricks to look like wooden planks, and the slate roof that integrates capes for a truly ramshackle look. The distinct colors and building techniques for the high and low towns make this scene of star-crossed lovers really shine.

Stairway to Heaven

Tomasz’  build won the runner up spot in the 2024 Summer Joust Competition “Stairway Tales” category.

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